Silence ahead of ‘storm’

GNLF observes Accord Day in Darjeeling hillsVIVEK CHHETRIGNLF supporters at the meeting in Darjeeling on Friday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Aug 22: GNLF leaders today asserted that Subash Ghisingh’s silence had a political overtone and once he spoke up, there would be a “storm” that even the Centre couldn’t withstand.

The comments made on the occasion of the DGHC Accord Day are seen as an effort by the GNLF to keep the morale of its supporters high at a time the party is mobilising public support in the hills.

Anil Lochan, the assistant secretary of the GNLF’s Kalimpong branch committee, said: “There is politics behind his (Subash Ghisingh’s) silence. A storm is brewing in his silence. When he speaks out, not even the Centre can withstand the storm.”

He was addressing a public meeting in Darjeeling’s Chowk Bazar today to celebrate the DGHC Accord Day. On August 22, 1988, the Centre, state and the GNLF had signed a memorandum of settlement to form the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

M.G. Subba, the convenor of the GNLF’s Darjeeling branch committee, said: “Our leader will address the people once we get popular support in the hills. The party is now mobilising support and people are returning to the GNLF.”

The GNLF is still the most formidable force after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills. But GNLF chief Ghisingh has been shying away from addressing his supporters. The last public meeting he had addressed was in Darjeeling on April 15, 2011, ahead of the Assembly elections.

On June 22 this year, Ghisingh had addressed his supporters who had come to wish him on his 80th birthday. “I am not yet finished but this is not a platform for political speech. I will talk about politics from Kalimpong or Kurseong or Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling. Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling is the place for political speeches,” the GNLF chief said from the balcony of his residence on Dr Zakir Hussian Road here.

However, Ghisingh did not turn up at any meeting organised by the GNLF thereafter. The party has been holding rallies on Saturdays and Sundays across the hills for the past one month.

The GNLF today said the Morcha was not sincere in achieving Gorkhaland.

“They talked about Gorkhaland and we (GNLF) kept their path clear to allow them to achieve Gorkhaland. They have achieved nothing. Now, the Morcha has an MP and a government of its choice. Let them show us Gorkhaland,” said Lochan.

The GNLF’s political stand is “revival of DGHC unless the Sixth Schedule status is conferred on the Darjeeling hills”.

Ghisingh, however, has not spelt out his plan for achieving the Sixth Schedule status. He had mostly stayed away from Darjeeling since 2008.

Ghisingh left Darjeeling for Jalpaiguri on July 26, 2008, a day after a Morcha activist, Pramila Sharma, had been killed by a bullet allegedly fired from the house of a GNLF leader in Darjeeling. He returned to Darjeeling on April 8, 2011, to campaign for GNLF candidates in the Assembly elections. All three candidates fielded by the GNLF in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong lost the elections.

Ghisingh again left Darjeeling on May 16, 2011, after alleged GNLF supporters had killed a Morcha activist, Rabin Rai, in Sonada. He was back in Darjeeling on March 19 this year and told his supporters that he would stay here permanently.

Civic reshuffle

The Darjeeling municipality has changed councillors in charge of all seven departments.

Amar Singh Rai, the chairman of Darjeeling municipality, said on Friday that the shuffle had been done on the direction of GTA chief executive, Bimal Gurung.

“No one has been dropped. But the councillors in charge of different departments have been reshuffled. This has been done for better administration of the civic body,” he said.

The seven departments are water works, engineering, zamindari, licence, conservancy, urban poverty alleviation and mutation. Fourteen councillors had been given charge of the seven departments with two of them being assigned charge of one department each when the Morcha formed the civic board.

In the reshuffle, there are no new faces and all the 14 councillors have been given new departments.

GNLF observes Accord Day in Darjeeling hills

DARJEELING / KURSEONG, 23 Aug 2014: The Gorkha National Liberation Front on Fridayraked up its demand to revive the defunct Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council at a public meeting in Darjeeling held to observe the party’s Accord Day.

“The DGHC accord was signed on this day back in 1988 by GNLF president Subash Ghisingh between the state and Central governments to announce the end of the statehood agitation,” said GNLF Darjeeling convener MG Subba adding, “Unlike the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, the DGHC has constitutional guarantee and is more powerful.”

The GNLF observed its Accord Day in a subdued manner as has been the case ever since 2008 when the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha emerged as the dominant political force in Darjeeling and took over power. The GNLF wants a revival of the DGHC until the Sixth Schedule status is granted to the Darjeeling hills.

Subba said, “Our chief Subash Ghisingh has already taken up the issue with the Central government and the Bill to the effect is also lying pending in Parliament. We believe all the problems of the hills can only be solved when we achieve the Sixth Schedule status.”

Once again, Ghisingh stood out conspicuously given his absence in such an eventful programme. Despite this, GNLF Kalimpong general secretary Anil Lopchan said: “What needed to be done regarding our demand has already been accomplished by the party president. His silence must not be construed as inactivity. Our president will only speak when the time is right and this will create headaches for the central government.”

After his homecoming to Darjeeling on March 19 of this year, Ghisingh has not made public appearances, except once on June 22 when he came out to greet supporters gathered outside his residence. That day, he did say “he was not finished” and he would speak when the time was right.

Meanwhile, GNLF leaders said it is high time for the GJM to step back as it has failed miserably in achieving a separate state even after a prolonged agitation.

“Our party is not finished as is being propagated by the GJM these days. We had just given them a free hand. But now, the Morcha should bow down and give us an opportunity to achieve our aspirations,” said Manjila Tamang, town committee president of the Gorkha National Women’s Organisation (GNWO). To strengthen the party, the GNLF said it would also start a membership drive and organise political programmes in the hills.

The GNLF also observed the 26th DGHC Accord Day in Kurseong by holding a public meeting at the Monteviot ground. The speakers emphasised on the constitutional guarantee of the DGHC and demanded its immediate revival. The speakers also stressed the need to implement the Sixth Schedule status. GNLF leaders also criticised the GJM saying it has betrayed the people in name of a separate Gorkhaland state.”

Veteran GNLF leader Durga Pradhan regretted the GJM leadership did not want to acknowledge Subash Ghisingh and consider anything related to him. But they should remember it was under Ghisingh’s guidance that GJM chief Bimal Gurung learned the basics of politics.

The GNLF leader further said the GJM has begun demanding tribal status for the Gorkha communities, but it should accept the fact that the demands for Gorkhaland and tribal status were first envisioned by Ghisingh. The Echo of India

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